Learn to Live
by MiazukiNoYoru
Summary: Many years ago, Alternia invaded earth and took over, humiliating humans and demeaning them. And the only hope left in the world is the string of rebellions scattered across the globe. Karkat Vantas finds the rebellion closest to the queen of the trolls. Questions will be asked, and only time will answer them. Davekat AU. Rated M for language, violence, and later lemon and lime.
1. Chapter 1: Happy Birthday, Me

**Chapter One (Karkat's POV)**

I was an orphan. And I don't say "was" because I was adopted. I say "was" because today I was too old to be in custody of the orphanage anymore, as today was my eighth wriggling day, or in human terms, my eighteenth birthday. And of course the very day of my birthday, the caretaker of the establishment practically shoved me out, leaving me alone with the money I'd saved up over the years from various chores and small jobs around town, like mowing lawns and raking leaves. It wasn't much. It would hardly pay for an apartment for more than a couple of months. After that, I would be completely screwed. I sneered back at the building that was now classified as my old home, eyes narrowed in anger. The caretaker, Mrs. Harris, had never liked me. Not at all. And who would, honestly? I was nothing but a whiny, incompetent burden on all of them. I was always picky about food, I was mean to the other kids, and I was a mutant.

The orphanage was one that housed only trolls, the human orphanage farther away. They were different places because trolls didn't look at humans as their equals. The Alternian race had taken over the planet earth over a century ago, and they were none too peaceful about it. There was a great amount of bloodshed, but the Alternians had superior technology and military, and soon the humans were brought to their knees, many slaughtered, and many more subjected to slavery. However, a few decades later, the ruler of the Alternians, Her Imperious Condescension, was assassinated by a rebel group of humans, ending her rule and starting one less harsh, but still far from peaceful. The new ruler was inexperienced, and lacked the iron fist to keep her kingdom in check, and her forces slacked, thus weakening the empire. The humans took this chance to wage a war against the Alternians, eventually winning enough battles to intimidate the queen.

To halt any further battling between the species, she agreed to sign a document, which demanded the stop of human slavery and ruthless murder. The queen agreed, but would negotiate no further, still looking upon humans as inferior. Thus, humans were spared the indignity of being forced to work for the trolls, but they in no way held any rights politically or economically. The two races were segregated, and humans were not allowed many of the privileges the trolls were given.

However, even only among the trolls, there was even more segregation by way of the hemospectrum, a class system that ranked their place in society. The hemospectrum was based entirely on the blood color of the trolls, a deep, burgundy red being the lowest class, and then following the pattern of the color spectrum to end at the highest class, a bright fuchsia. The only ones to inherit fuchsia blood, however, were the main line of the royal family, which consisted of only two people. Those people were the queen herself, and her kind, compassionate daughter, Feferi. There had of course been a king, but he had perished in the long wars that had taken many other lives alongside his.

The rebellion that had killed the previous queen had never died out after the assassination. Instead, it thrived in the shadows, stealing from the Alternians and stirring up trouble wherever possible. They had a nasty relationship with the queen. She founded a group to track down these rebels and kill them, but by that time, they had become masters of hiding. They were almost impossible to track down, and even in the event that they were found, they would put up a vicious fight to the death. They would not go down easily.

I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my black jacket, adjusting the strap of my backpack and exhaling deeply, glancing one last time back at the tall building just going out of my line of vision as I rounded a corner. It wasn't like anyone would miss me. As I said, I was nothing but a burden and a freak of nature. I stopped in front of a building, grabbing a newspaper from the box in exchange for a dollar. I tugged my jacket sleeves downward as people passed me by, more out of a force of habit than a conscious motion. I was used to hiding my arms. I'd had to. I had made a stupid mistake when I was younger, and I knew it. It was never the answer, of course, but I'd had nothing to lose, or so I thought, and I felt so lonely, and so hurt, that I needed an alternative to the emotional pain. So my last option was a razor blade in the shower, letting the mutated candy red liquid swirl down the drain with my matching tears. No one ever found me, but I stopped one day when I accidentally cut too deeply, and it wouldn't stop bleeding for a while. I panicked, but I knew I couldn't go to the others, so instead I grabbed a red towel and wrapped it tightly around my wrist. Obviously I hadn't cut too far because I was able to stop the bleeding eventually, though I was dizzy as I left the bathroom, hiding the towel under my bed for the time being. I went to sleep, and the next morning I snuck the towel in with the trash so no one saw the blood when they washed it. I had been too scared to cut again, and I realized what I'd almost done. I had almost died. I could very well have died if I had pressed the blade any deeper, and the thought terrified me.

My eyes skimmed over the few apartments open to lower class trolls in the paper. They were all cramped, old places, but they were better than nothing, and they weren't ridiculously expensive. Still, I'd have to get a job in order to keep the place, because my money would not last long. I would have to be careful of what I bought. I would only get the essentials. Food, water, and hygienic supplies. And food wise, I would have to stick with the cheap stuff, which probably meant ramen most nights. I read the address of one of the cheaper ones and folded the newspaper up, stuffing it into my bag with a sigh. I guess it wasn't all bad considering I was getting out of the awful environment of the orphanage, but still, it sucked to be home hunting on my birthday. And it sucked knowing that if I failed to get an apartment, I slept on the street tonight. And since that wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to stay, I just hoped that I'd land a place.

I managed to catch the bus before it left and payed the fee to ride, sitting near the back of the vehicle. The bus was almost empty at the time, so I didn't have to worry about getting annoyed by noise. And without the distraction the ride went by quickly, and soon I was stepping off the bus and walking the next block through the city. Around me was a mixture of faces. Orange horns of varying shapes and sizes moved around, carried by dark patches of hair. Mixed in with this were fewer heads of lighter hair, falling down into pink faces. It was no wonder there weren't many humans walking the streets. Trolls were known to be a violent race by nature; of course I hadn't inherited that trait strongly, which I was grateful for. It was very far from uncommon to hear of humans being mugged, and even killed by trolls. Sometimes even members of their own species were attacked and found leaking colorful blood onto the ground in an alleyway, or an empty suburban street. It was a terrible world, filled with fear and bitterness, and those very things could be felt in the air, lingering in the cities and towns around the world. There were plenty of people, trolls and humans alike, who wanted unity and peace, but their optimism was not nearly enough to relieve the hatred polluting the air.

I reached the line of rundown apartment buildings on that thought, striding toward the rental office. I opened the door to the building and walked up to a man at a desk, scribbling with a pen on paperwork. He looked up at me, adjusting the oval shaped glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. His black hair was slicked back, and his horns sticking straight up before turning in the slightest curve to face outwards at the tips. He frowned at me, mustard yellow eyes staring into my bright red ones. I fidgeted slightly and grimaced. "Uh-I…I'd like to get an apartment, sir." I managed, his eyes narrowing in return. "I'm afraid that's impossible." He growled at me, and I swallowed a lump in my throat. Oh please don't let it be why I think it is. "Well why not?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even. I didn't think this was going to go very well.

"Because we don't house _your_ kind, mutant." I openly flinched, disappointment welling in my chest. "W-what?" I breathed, disbelief dripping from my voice despite the fact that I'd had a feeling this would happen anyways. I had hoped it wouldn't, though. "You heard me. Now get off my property, filth." I clenched my hands into fists, anger bubbling in me, glaring viciously at him.

"Fine." I spat bitterly. "You're running a piece of shit anyways. Who'd even want to stay here?" I spun on my heel and exited the building, slamming the door hard behind me. Quickening my pace, I pushed my way through the crowd, eyes burning with the threat of tears spilling over. I reached a less crowded area and leaned against the wall of a bakery, wiping at my eyes with the sleeves of my jacket, my jaw clenched and shoulders trembling in attempt to keep myself from crying. Damn that man for saying that. I got enough of that bullshit from the kids at the orphanage, let alone some man I didn't even know. I had known, of course, that this sort of thing would happen. I had prepared myself over the years, but it still hurt. It still made me feel like garbage.

Suddenly, something touched my shoulder and I jumped, turning my head to meet emerald green eyes. A young human girl stood, looking up at me. She wasn't shorter than me by much, and her choppy black hair reached her waist, her lips formed into a grimace. If I saw right, she had little buck teeth peeking out. She slid her big, goofy round glasses farther up her nose and looked up at me, eyebrows furrowed into a worried expression. When she spoke, her voice was soft and concerned. "Are you okay?"

I stared at her for a moment, eyes widened slightly in surprise, and eyebrows creased in confusion. This human was _worried_ about me? About a troll? Was she serious? "I…uh…" I stuttered, mouth opening and closing and starting to resemble a fish out of water. I shook myself internally and swallowed. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. Don't worry about it." I replied gruffly, trying my best to regain my composure and at least _look_ fine, even though I wasn't really.

The girl's frown immediately flipped and a grin split her face. "Well that's good!" God, how dim was this girl? She actually believed me? "I was worried you were hurt or something." She giggled and held her hand out. "I'm Jade. Jade Harley. Who're you?"

I hesitantly took her hand, which she then shook vigorously. "I'm Karkat." I replied, wrenching my hand out of her firm grasp, pretty sure she almost took my elbow out of its socket with that shake. "Is there a last name to that?" She continued grinning, lacing her fingers together behind her back.

I frowned and averted my gaze. "Sure, but that doesn't matter." I said. I hated the look on people's faces when they knew I was an orphan. Every time I'd go outside, they'd all look at me with pity. It pissed me off, and I didn't want some human I'd just met to look at me like that, too. Human. I had just used that term automatically, without even thinking about it. But she wasn't just a human, no human was. They were people, just like trolls, and I hated the way trolls looked down on them. And here I was, in my own mind, thinking of her as simply a human. I knew the pain of being different, being looked down on, and so I had never once looked down on humans. I looked down on anyone who did. "Anyways, what are you doing out here anyways?" I asked, attempting to draw the subject away from surnames. "No offense, but isn't it dangerous for such a small human to be out by herself on the streets?"

She only laughed at me, and I eyed her curiously. "Isn't it just as dangerous for such a small _troll_ to be out by himself?" I glared at her, growling. "I am not small. I am a God damn adult, I'll have you know."

"Oooohh." She grinned, shifting her weight between her feet. "An adult, huh? Well, aren't you just the big strong hero? An _adult._" She giggled harder, continuing. "So sorry I doubted your maturity and strength, Karkitten."

I growled at her again. "Oh, would you shut up? And wait, back up. Did you just fucking call me _Karkitten!?"_

She burst into laughter, doubling over and holding her sides. I stared down at her in astonishment. What the hell did she think she was laughing at? A few trolls walking down the sidewalk stopped and stared at us, murmuring quietly and grinning. My face heated up in embarrassment and I groaned. "I'm leaving."

As I walked away, I heard Jade yell through her laughter. "See you later, Karkitten!" I only frowned harder and turned the corner, leaving her to laugh by herself on the sidewalk. Shaking my head, I unzipped my back pack, my stomach empty, and pulled out a peanut butter sandwich. Opening the bag, I stuffed the sandwich in my mouth as I reached in and pulled out the newspaper again before zipping my bag back up. I took the sandwich out of my mouth and chewed on the mouthful as I unrolled the paper. Once I had found another cheap one, I read the address and started towards the area, setting a brisk pace. I wanted to get this done quickly.

* * *

Five different apartments later, I was out of options and the sun was setting behind the tall buildings of the city, pink and orange streaks painting the sky. Every damn place turned me down, all because I was a mutant. I glanced up at the darkening sky. I was running out of time. If I didn't find somewhere soon, I'd be sleeping in an alleyway, which was extremely dangerous.

I sighed as I realized that I might end up having to stay at a motel. If they'd even accept me. I grimaced at the thought of being shot down again and stuffed the paper back in my bag. My shoulders sagged as I began walking again, feet scuffing on the ground. I was tired, and the nearest motel was a few blocks away. But it was my only option left, so I had no choice but to keep going.

After the first block, I glanced over at an alleyway. I'd been in this area before when it was my turn to run errands back at the orphanage. Going through there, and cutting across a few more alleys could really cut back on time, and I could get to the motel in half the amount of time it would take me otherwise. I looked up at the sky, the pink and orange almost gone now, and the first few stars shining in the darkness. Night was when most muggers were out, and when the alleys were most dangerous. If I cut through, I could chance a bad encounter.

Then again, I'd cut through there a million times before, and nothing had ever happened. I doubted anyone was even near here right now, anyways. Not many people came through this area at this time of day. And besides, I was exhausted from running all over town all day. Getting there faster was very tempting.

Before I knew what I was doing, my feet were moving towards the alley, careful to make sure no cars were coming as I crossed the street. I hopped onto the other sidewalk and slipped into the alley. I felt my heartbeat pick up, and I wondered what was getting to me so badly. Nothing was going to happen. Just calm down, Karkat. Calm down. I let out a long breath and picked up my pace, making my feet hurt more, but I hardly noticed the pain as I kept my eyes trained ahead on the other side of the alley.

My shoulders relaxed as I reached the sidewalk, and I slowed down a bit. I knew nothing would happen. It was just an empty alleyway, no big deal. I was fine, and there was nothing to be afraid of. At least, I thought so, before I felt a hand cover my mouth and another grab my arm.

I gasped and let out a muffled noise into the hand as I was pulled backward. My wide eyes flitted down at the hand holding my arm, then up to another man standing in front of me. I jumped at his sudden appearance, but I didn't have long to react as I felt an agonizing pain tear through my side.

A muffled scream escaped my throat into the hand, and I was dropped to the ground, my vision already starting to blur. I only made out shapes. A glint of silver, now glistening with bright red. Figures in black moving around me. I felt a tug at my shoulder, then another, and then felt the strap of my bag slide from my shoulder, and the weight of my bag was gone. Mt breaths were ragged as everything started to get darker. There were mumbles, and then they stopped at a scuff on the ground. A low rumbling sound filled my ears, and a vicious bark split the air, and I groaned at the noise and the pain I felt. Feet scuffed on the ground and faded, and a dark figure shifted towards me, stooping low to the ground in front of me as everything went black. And as I lost consciousness, I wondered why this was happening to me. Why today of all days? Whatever the reason, it was happening whether I liked it or not. And I didn't. Happy Birthday, me.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so I've basically put Frost on hiatus even though I pretty much just started it. I just don't really have any inspiration or motivation to write it currently. Every time I sit down and try to write more, I somehow manage to find every distraction in existence. Hmm what's on TV? I should check my Facebook. I should go not do my homework. Do penguins like peanut butter? What is the meaning of life? I just can't seem to focus on it, so here's more Davekat. I know, I've already done two Davekat fanfictions, but hey, what can I say? I'm obsessed. So I'm sorry about Frost, but here's this! I honestly think this has turned out better than Frost anyways, and I've been wanting to write this more, so hopefully that keeps up and I can keep up a steady flow of updates. But I make no promises because euurgh motivation runs from me every time. So anyways, I hope you enjoy this story, and I thank you for your patience! Until the next update, stay beautiful.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Lobby

Chapter Two (Karkat's POV)

I was in and out of consciousness God knows how many times. Each time I woke up, I tried to stay conscious, but it never worked. I attempted to lift my eyelids, but I didn't have the strength to move a single part of my body. I was bone tired. So I let myself go back to sleep, since I obviously needed the rest.

Low murmuring sounded around me as I came into consciousness for the final time. My eyes were still so heavy, so I left them closed. What was going on? Where was I? I was vaguely aware of a pain in my side, and a dull throbbing in my head. I tried to focus on the voices, but only managed to make the throbbing worse. I groaned. The murmuring stopped.

A long creak signaled that a door was being opened, and I peeled my eyes open, taking in the room I was in. It was a dimly lit room, underground judging from the high up, small window that filtered in bright sunshine from behind a curtain. How long had I been asleep? Was it just that night, or longer? The room was a wreck. There was junk piled everywhere, boxes of random things, and objects scattered about the floor. My eyes drifted upwards and locked on the two figures standing at the door.

My mind immediately named one of the faces Jade Harley, the girl I had met in front of the bakery. Behind her stood a tall man with spiked back, blonde hair and pointy shades. Jade gasped and ran over to my bed when she saw my eyes open. "Karkat! You're awake!" She exclaimed loudly, causing my head to hurt more. I grumbled at her and adjusted my arms to try to sit up, immediately falling back down to the pillow with a grunt at the stab of pain that shot through my side.

"You're not ready to stand up yet!" She said, pulling back my blanket to reveal bandages wrapping around my stomach, bright red bleeding through the cloth. "Oh. It looks like we'll have to change them again, huh?" She grinned at me. "But that won't have to be for long, because our medic will be back soon, and he'll stitch you right up." She looked down at my wound and then back up at me. "We've been sitting you up to redo this. Do you think you can try to sit up on your own?"

I paused, giving her an unsure expression. "I can try." She smiled. "That's the spirit!" I grimaced and pushed up with my arms, gasping at the pain and falling back down. "Here," A Texan accent sounded for the first time beside me, startling me for a moment. The blonde man slid his hands under my back as stabilizers, and he motioned for me to sit up. I pushed myself upward again, grunting when the pain shot through me again. My arms wobbled, but he kept me up, and I slowly pushed myself the rest of the way up, turning my body and letting my legs dangle over the side of the bed, panting slightly.

The blonde man stepped back and looked down at me as Jade beamed and unpinned my bandages. "So you're this Karkat that Jade told us about, huh?" I blinked at him. "Uh…why would she tell you about that?"

He shrugged. "She said she got a huge laugh out of some crabby short guy on the street. And she said that you had a look in your eyes that I might like."

I looked at him queerly and flinched when Jade peeled the bandage off my wound. She looked up at me. "Sorry." And then removed the bandage, drawing out a cloth and dipping it into…was that a bucket of water? Eugh. That was disgusting, but at least it was only water in the bucket and not…other things. I shook my head and looked back at the man. "A look in my eyes? What do you mean by that?" I asked as Jade brought the cloth to my wound and cautiously started to clean it.

"I mean that she was right. I like that fire in your eyes. Tell me something…I've never seen that blood color before," I paled as he said this, flinching at the cloth touching my side. The man continued. "Where are you on the hemospectrum?"

"I…" I faltered, looking down at the floor. Jade stopped to look at me, rinsing the cloth off in the water. Should I tell them? I didn't want anyone else to know I was a mutant, not after what I'd gone through my whole life. But, these two weren't Alternian, so maybe they wouldn't care. Either way, it wasn't as if I had anything to lose in telling them. I sighed, and continued staring at the floor. "I'm a mutant."

"Well then," I looked up at the man as he talked. "You must know what's it's like to be treated differently, right? Especially judging by those." He gestured to the line of scars along my arms. My eyes widened. I had forgotten about those, and now they'd both seen them. I stared at him. "Don't worry. We won't judge you for that, Karkat. You aren't the only one who's done it." He grimaced slightly as he said it, adding a darker look to his expression. Was he speaking from experience? I didn't see any scars on his arms, so maybe it was someone he knew, or maybe he just hated the thought of the act.

I nodded as Jade finished cleaning the wound, tossing the cloth into the water with a plop. I turned a disgusted look onto the bucket; the water in it was now tinted red. Shaking my head, I returned my glance to the man, who launched into another question. "Karkat, what do you think of the rebellion?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him and tilted my head. Where did that question come from? I hissed quietly in pain as Jade started wrapping the new bandage around my stomach. "I think that what they do is right. They're fighting for equality and peace between both races, and they know that the queen is wrong. Humans are not below Alternians just because they took over. We all share this earth, and we might as well get along, right? But, I don't agree with a lot of their methods. They steal from rich trolls, which I think will only enrage them more, and make matters worse." I shrugged, Jade pinning the bandage and stepping back.

The man smirked and nodded. "Good answer. And I have a proposition for you." He strode a bit closer and grinned down at me. "How'd you like to tell the leader of the rebellion what he's doing wrong?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "What are you talking about? No one knows where the rebellion even is."

"You do." He grinned further. I paused for a moment before fully realizing what he'd just said. "You're the leader of the rebellion?" I breathed, staring incredulously at him.

"Yeah. I just took over the job a few years ago. The leader before me was killed by the queen's group. But that's beside the point. The point is, I want you in the rebellion, if you'll accept." I gaped at him, lost for words. My mouth opened and closed for a minute, not sure what to say.

"Keep in mind, however," He frowned at me, his voice darker. "That there are people after us. Those people want us dead. And if they find us, we could very well die. We have strong forces, but the queen has brought together a very elite group of people, and there would be a very close fight. That's why we move our base a lot. So whether or not you join, you can never tell anyone about the rebellion, ever. You can never tell anyone where we are, or who's in the rebellion. You never know who's listening for the queen. And if you join, remember that there is a chance you could die."

I nodded to show I understood, and stopped to let the words sink in. The thought of death terrified me, especially after being so close to it once before, but I hated everything about how humans were looked upon as lesser beings. I hated how I was looked upon as a lesser being as well. If I could make it a better world to live in for not only myself, but everyone else who felt the way I did, then wasn't that goal worth the risk of death? I sighed. I didn't know.

The blonde stood next to Jade as I thought it over, both watching me intently. And after a few minutes, I responded. "May I think about it for a while first?"

The man nodded. "Of course you can. In fact, if you're up to it, why don't I find you a shirt and you can walk around the place a bit? That way you can get a vibe for the people and the way we live and whatnot."

"Yeah." I responded, slowly standing myself up, wincing a bit as I did. "Wait." I said, and the man halted at the doorframe. "I never got your name." He turned his head to look at me. "Dirk. And I'll be right back with a shirt." He added, leaving the room. Jade stayed and smiled at me. "I'm so glad he invited you to join. And I hope you do. We really are trying our best to do a good thing here, and one person can make a difference." I nodded at her but kept my mouth shut. I didn't know for sure if I'd be staying, anyways.

"Hey, Jade, how long was I asleep, anyways?" I inquired, tapping my foot on the floor subconsciously. "About three days." She replied, a grin still plastered on her face. She sure smiled a lot. "Three days?" I gaped at her, and she giggled. "Yup! People around here are starting to call you Sleeping Beauty, you know." I groaned. Great. Now even more people I didn't know had nicknames for me. "How many people are here, anyways?" I asked.

"Well since this is the head hideout, there are only a few. See, we have places scattered all over the city, and HQ moves around a lot. We like to keep only a select amount of people here, that way the moves are easier. And the people that are here are some of our best." She explained, twiddling her thumbs in front of her.

"Oh." I looked up at the window. "So where exactly are we right now?" Her gaze followed mine as she responded. "Downtown. This is some abandoned factory that went under some time ago, which is why there's stuff everywhere."

Dirk walked in at that moment, stealing my response along with my train of thought. "Here," I caught the folded up shirt as he tossed it to me. "It might be a tad big, but not by much. My shirts would've engulfed you, so I grabbed one of my brother's." Unfolding it, I slipped it over my head and pulled it on, grateful that it had long sleeves. The sleeves were red, the rest of the shirt white. In the center of the shirt was a picture of a record with a crack slicing through the middle. The fabric stretched a little over halfway down my hands, and the collar was big, but other than that it was comfortable, and it was loose around my wound, so I was grateful for it. "Thanks." I said.

He hummed his response as he left the room, Jade gathering up the bucket and cloth in her hands, which I made sure to stay away from. Seriously, weren't they aware of Alternian use for buckets? How inconsiderate. And gross. I guess they didn't know, so I shrugged it off and followed her out of the room. "Go ahead and explore the place, maybe make some friends." She smiled and I grimaced in return. I wasn't sure about the whole "making friends" thing. Making friends wasn't exactly my specialty. Even so, I nodded and she gave me one last grin before veering off into another room and leaving me to my own devices.

Glancing around the hallway that I had been lead to, I began walking toward the end of it. Reaching the doors, I swung one of them open to reveal what looked to be a lobby or some sort of faculty room. It was set up with a small kitchen off to the side, and a half circle of couches arching around a large brown coffee table. On the couches sat several people, who all turned their heads to look at me. A couple of people in the kitchen, and a few more in the corner of the room also paused to take notice of me. I suddenly felt very awkward and intrusive. One of the people, a dark haired boy with glasses framing forest green eyes, flashed a toothy grin at me. "Well I'll be. Looks like the lad finally woke up, eh?" A thick British accent colored his voice, and a few chuckles came in response.

Another voice popped up beside him from a boy in identical glasses. In fact, he looked exactly like the first boy other than his eyes being a deep blue instead of green. "Have a nice nap, Sleeping Beauty?" He smirked. More laughs. What was with these people? I didn't even know their names and they were joking around like we were all best friends or something. I fumed on the spot, and had opened my mouth to shoot out a sharp retort when another voice interjected. "Why are you wearing my shirt? And why do you look so cute in it?"

I glared angrily at the voice's owner. He was a tall blonde boy with dark aviators, and a short-sleeved white shirt. Judging from Dirk saying he had given him one of his brother's shirts, I gathered that this was him. They certainly looked like siblings. Same pale skin, bleach blonde hair, shades, and sarcastic attitudes about them. Except this one was different. This one made my blood boil. "I do not look cute." Several giggles and chuckles sounded around the room. "Stop laughing, ass hats."

"Ass hats?" The snarky remark came from the infuriating blonde, matched with a playful snicker. "Forget Sleeping Beauty. It's more like Sleeping Cutie."

I growled at him and tromped angrily over, getting close and jabbing him hard in the chest. "Who the fuck do you think you are exactly? I don't even know your name and you're messing with me like we're best friends! Well I've got news for you, fuck stain. I am not cute. You are not funny. And we are not friends. So stop acting so condescending and please do the world a favor and politely fuck off." I ranted, repeatedly jabbing him in the chest.

The room went silent. A low whistle sounded from the boy with blue eyes, but I ignored it, instead choosing to glare viciously at the asshole in front of me, who was still smirking sheepishly. It pissed me off even more. "Damn." He grinned. "At first I thought you were quiet, or maybe shy. But when you talk, you breathe fire. Not bad. The name's Strider. Dave Strider." He reached up and grabbed the hand I was using to jab him, shaking it up and down. I hissed and ripped my hand out of his grasp, glaring harder at him. He only raised an eyebrow at me, leaning in closer with a smirk playing on his lips. "This is usually the part where you introduce yourself back." He whispered into my ear as if I was a helpless infant at the first day of school. It infuriated me! I shoved him away from me with a vicious growl and huffed angrily before shuffling quickly out of the room.

Gog damn it! Who did those people think they were? Especially that asshole with the shades. What did he say his name was? Dave? I hardly cared, because I was practically spitting fire at the walls as I walked aimlessly down the hall in frustration. Jade poked her head out from a room, entering the hallway when she saw me coming. She blinked at me and blocked my path. "Karkat? What's wrong? What happened?" I hissed at the obstacle in my way in annoyance. "Dave happened. In fact, that whole room happened. What's their problem, anyways?"

She giggled a bit. "That's just how they welcome people. It's best to just go along with it and let them have their fun. I rolled my eyes, scoffing as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Fun for them at least. I personally don't see what's so fun about it." Jade pursed her lips, setting her hands on her hips and giving me a sort of pout. "Karkat, just put up with it, okay? Once they're done messing with you badly, you'll practically be one of them."

One of them? Was that what I really wanted when I wasn't even completely sure yet if I was going to stay? Honestly, what was she trying to do? Maybe she really believed that it was a good idea for me to stay. I didn't even know myself. The thought of death terrified me, but there was so much that could be accomplished, and I could help with something important and worthwhile. An exasperated huff escaped my lips and I stared over at a wall. "Fine." I muttered. "I'll give them a chance. But I make no promises that they won't be punched in the face, got it?" She grinned victoriously. "Got it." And with that, she slipped back into the room she came from, and with a defeated sigh, I made my way back to the double doors. When I entered the room, once again I was met with several stares, albeit less this time. The green eyed man from before grinned. "Oh, back so soon, chap? Sorry if that lad over there frightened you off." I fought the urge to snap a retort at him, and instead leaned calmly against the door. "He couldn't if he tried."

"That sounds an awful lot like a challenge, but never mind that." I groaned as Dave's smooth voice wafted over from where he was suddenly standing beside me. "I never did get that name." He smirked at me, head cocked slightly to the side as he waited for my response. I sneered at him and replied. "My name, you insufferable prick, is Karkat." He snorted at this, for reasons that escaped me. "Karkat?" He grinned, obviously enjoying himself. "That's pretty ironic." I blinked at him, eyebrows drawn together. "How is it ironic?" He shrugged. "Think about it. The name Karkat sounds like a cuddly kitten. And then there's you, who seems to be about as far from cuddly as a cactus." I frowned at him and let out a deep breath through my nose, remembering what Jade had said. Put up with it, and eventually they'd stop. Or at least they'd tone it down after a while. I hoped so anyways.

"And then there's Dave Strider. It sounds like a pretty cool name, like it would belong to some awesome person. But oh look. It's just you." I countered, smirking devilishly. "Ouch." He grinned. "Karkitten's got some sting to his words, huh?" I hissed at him. "Do _not_ call me Karkitten. I already have Jade calling me that, and I certainly don't need you spouting nonsensical nicknames, too." He chuckled and poked my arm. "So why _are_ you in my shirt, anyways?" He inquired as I swatted at his hand in annoyance. "Because I needed a clean shirt, and your brother shoved one of your dumb pieces of clothing at me."

"Ah." He responded, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall. The green-eyed man spoke up suddenly. "So Karkat. What brings you here anyhow?" He asked, and I shrugged. "I don't know. I think Jade brought me here." The man chuckled. "No, no, I know how you got _here._ I was the one who carried you here, in fact. What I meant was why were you downtown? Do you live around here?" And there was the topic that I was really hoping wouldn't be brought up. But there it was despite my wishes, up in the air like Simba from the Lion King. I offered another shrug. "Just...wandering. Nothing special." I lied, looking off nonchalantly at a wall as I did so. I could tell he didn't buy it, but he seemed to notice that the topic was better left alone, and he didn't persist. Instead he changed the topic, much to my gratitude. "Well maybe it's time for some introductions." I looked back at him as he continued. "You know Dave. My name is Jake English." I nodded, and he gestured to the smaller boy beside him with blue eyes. "This is my younger brother, John." John gave a goofy grin and waved, and Jake motioned to two blonde girls in the kitchen. "That tall girl with the liquor in her hand is Roxy Lalonde, and her sister Rose." Roxy smiled drunkenly at me, and Rose nodded her head with a gentle smile. Next he turned to the other side of him, a girl with short black hair and dazzling blue eyes on the couch. "This is Jane Crocker." He looked back at me with a smile. "And you've met Dirk and Jade already."

I nodded and replied gruffly, almost mumbling. "Nice to meet you all." The comment was met with a chorus of "Nice to meet you, toos" and "yeahs."

"The only other one who isn't here is Sollux, our computer whiz and our doctor." Jake went on. "He's out helping out a medic in another location at the moment, but today's the day he's supposed to be back. How's that wound by the way?"

"It hurts." I leaned against the wall. Jake chuckled. "Well yes, I would imagine so. You did get stabbed after all." Jane and John grinned on either side of him. I didn't see what was so funny. "Yeah." I muttered, staring off at a wall. Dave poked my cheek, and I shot him a furious glare. "What?"

He shrugged. "Come on dude, lighten up. Just because you're hurt doesn't mean you have to be so sour." I growled at him, narrowing my eyes. "Just shut the hell up already. I can be sour if I want, and you can just piss off." He snorted and put his hands up in mock defeat. "Okay, okay. I get it, Karcrab. You want to be left alone. Only it's too bad that I'm not the kind of guy just to walk away from a conversation. Some may call that rude, you know. Weren't you taught any manners? Honestly, Karkat."

I rolled my eyes. "Weren't you taught to keep your nose out of other people's business?"

"Touché." He conceded, a smirk playing on his lips. "Sorry if I _offended_ you. I didn't realize you were so fragile. Maybe you're more like a kitten than I thought." It amazed me how much restraint it took not to punch him in the face. Instead I simply glared harder, which was my usual response. "Listen here, you festering, putrid excuse for a piece of shit. I am not _fragile._ I can take care of myself just fine, and I don't need you telling me otherwise. I don't need your approval, got it? And you don't need me to tell you that you're an intrusive asshole. You've probably been told that numerous times in your life. And it's not hard to see why. Oh, by the way, sorry if I _offended_ you with any of this."

Dave scoffed. "You couldn't if you tried." I sneered at him. "That sounds an awful lot like a challenge." Jake cut in before Dave could respond. "Alright, you two. Honestly. If I don't stop you here, I'm afraid you'll go on for hours."

Dave grinned. "Nah. I think nubs would run out of mashed together insults before then." I fumed, clenching my hands into fists at my sides. "I have more mashed together insults than you have IQ points." John giggled and Jake stood up. He walked over and stood in front of us. We both looked up at him, and before we could react, Jake grabbed both of our heads and smacked them together. We both cringed, as Jake walked back over and plunked back down onto the couch. I doubled over, holding my head and hissing sharply. Dave reacted similarly, gripping his head and grimacing.

I could hear several laughs and chuckles from around the room, and it made me even angrier. Dave recovered before me, standing up fully and rubbing his head. "Come on, Jake. Not cool. No one ever wins with head-butts."

I saw Jake grin as I looked up, still nursing my head sorely. "I do believe I won, Dave." He chuckled, and Dave frowned. "Tch. Whatever you say, English." He turned and offered a grin. "Damn those horns hurt when they're jammed into your head." He laughed a little, and I only frowned harder. "Well it could have been avoided if you'd just given up sooner."

Dave snorted. "Yeah right. Striders don't give up. Giving up is lame, and a lame Strider is unacceptable."

I rolled my eyes as Jake sat forward on the couch. "Do I need to come back over there?" Dave and I hastily reacted, shaking our heads frantically, and Jake grinned, sitting back. "That's what I thought. Now behave, the two of you, or I'll knock you senseless next time." I swallowed and rubbed my head again. "Yeah." I saw Dave grin from the corner of my eye and huffed in irritation. This guy really was just a gigantic asshole, wasn't he? If I _did _decide to stay, how the hell was I going to deal with him?

* * *

**AN: Welp here it is. I'm hoping I can update weekly from now on, but I make no promises because hey, procrastination is a bitch. Also, someone corrected me on the age Karkat would be in sweeps, and I'm looking into that. I used a converter I found on Google, so sorry that it wasn't the right number. Anyways, I hope to have chapter three out soon, and be ready for the first POV change! Because while I love Karkat to little bits and pieces and just want to hug him and squish his cheeks and watch him have sloppy make outs with DaveIMEANWHAT...anyways...I also want to give some other characters the spotlight! Not to mention it's much more fun to write it like that, and you get to see what some other people are thinking. And while the story does technically revolve around Karkat, I'll be focusing on some other people in different places as well. So until chapter three, have a great day, loves!**


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